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How To Make More Money: Sell Your Skills

After landing a job at NYC Dog Walkers, Megan Haran moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan to New York City with a few thousand dollars in her bank account. The millennial had eight months to kill before (hopefully) attending graduate school.

A native of New Jersey, Haran was lucky enough to have parents who had an apartment in New York City. The 23-year old always wanted to live in the Big Apple and with a rent-free pad, she figured she could save money for dental school while working in the city.

“Why not get into something that I love now? And what’s better than walking dogs all day?” explains Haran.

Aspiring dental student Megan Haran used dog walking to help save up money for graduate school while she waited to see where she would be accepted. Photo credit: Megan Haran.

Even without paying rent, Haran quickly learned that expenses are costly in New York City. She figures she spends around $900 a month. It breaks down to $350 on food and groceries, $400 on entertainment and $150 on clothes or other flexible expenditures. If she had to pay rent, the millennial admits that she probably wouldn’t live in Manhattan and would opt for Brooklyn instead.

A self-described animal lover, Haran wasn’t surprised that she ended up working with dogs. She got into the industry slowly, dog sitting on the weekends in Michigan while she worked during the week as a dental assistant. At the time, she was building up her resume for her graduate school applications.

“There are a lot of jobs where it would be frowned up to leave [in eight months],” says Haran. The millennial appreciates that her job at NYC Dog Walkers is fairly flexible, allowing her to go to school interviews if needs be. She felt that with a salaried job, she wouldn't have the same freedom.

Owner Paul Columbia estimates that 87 percent of his 15 employees are funding other passions with dog walking, whether that be graduate school at night or a low-paying job in a field of their interest.

So far, Haran has $2,400 saved for school and hopes to put away $7,700 more before she heads off to school. Since her tuition and housing will cost anywhere between $50,000 - $100,000 a year, she plans on using her savings to fund her living expenses. Anything to “keep the loans down,” she says.

Working around 35 hours a week as a dog walker and office administrator, Haran makes around $2,000 a month before taxes at NYC Dog Walkers. In order to have to hit her $10,000 savings mark before attending school, Haran also works part-time at a startup, earning around $300 a month before taxes.

Despite the long hours, the millennial loves New York City, as friends from college and home landed there with her. She says that there is always something to do, which she appreciates since she doesn’t know where she will be .

This is the first in a series on people who are funding their passions with side jobs. Whether it is someone supplementing their not-so lucrative dream job with a weekend gig or a recent graduate saving up for school, millennials are looking for new ways to make more money in fields that they love.